I am an early riser…5 am..I don’t hit the snooze button, I don’t lie back done and breathe for a few minutes, I hit the alarm and off I go. I have done this for years. It’s how I like to start my day…a few minutes for me, our sweet dog, Molly, cup of coffee, my IPad and the quiet before the day is started. Well except for Molly’s snoring…like she didn’t just sleep for 8 hours! At 5:30 this quiet peaceful time ends and I hit the ground running…shower, dress, makeup, hair, lunch packed, breakfast made, another cup of coffee, an occasional load of laundry or other household chore, and dinner is planned.Then at 7, I sit down, do my devotion, eat my breakfast, & finish my 2nd cup of coffee. I am constantly watching the clock and am out the door by 7:50. You might think that since I do this everyday, it runs like clock work…nope most days I am pushing hard to get it done and still be out the door on time.

This morning while putting on my make up, the scripture ‘press on toward the goal….’ came to mind. While running it over through my head, I thought press on, not push on. I tend to be pusher with everything…I have that ‘get it done’ mindset. Always pushing, pushing, pushing. Working hard to get to the end.

So, why press on and not push on?

To figure that out I had to find out the difference between pushing and pressing.

To push means to use force in order to move it, to press means to act upon steadily with applied force. This made me think about push ups & bench pressing. Push ups are done alone, typically on the floor, with no need for anyone to watch or spot you. A bench press requires more than that. You need a bench, barbell with weights, as well as someone to ‘spot’ you, someone you trust to keep the barbell from dropping on you.

My morning routine is like a push up. I force myself to get everything done in my time. There are no rules that say it has to be done, it’s just something I push myself to do. This year my goal is to learn to trust God’s timing for all things for me. To do this I need to learn to press towards the plan God has for me…not push-forcing it to happen in my time. I tend to get ahead of him…always pushing, when he wants me to press on towards that goal, with Him beside me. There is so much to learn as we press on towards that goal He has for us, so slow down, soak it all in and press on!

It’s a new pace for me, but one I am going to strive to settle into. I want what God has for me, but in His time, not mine!

"Your life is just composed of the years that you live. And the way you have successful and next level years is when you understand the value and significance of every single day. And the way you understand the value and the significance of every day is when you say 'God I am going to trust you no matter what season that I'm in'. This is next level living."